Government Keeps Dialogue Open as PTI Ends Talks
ISLAMABAD:Despite the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announcing the termination of the ongoing talks on Tuesday, the government has kept the door open for potential dialogue, stating it would wait until January 31 for the opposition to reconsider and resume negotiations.
The announcement came after the PTI’s negotiating team failed to show up for the scheduled fourth round of talks at the Parliament House, despite an invitation from National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who had played a pivotal role in bringing both the ruling coalition and opposition to the table.
Earlier, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, speaking outside Adiala Jail following a meeting with party founder Imran Khan, confirmed that the opposition had ended the talks, citing the lack of progress. He remarked that PTI entered the negotiations with good faith but they couldn’t move forward.
Negotiations began on December 23, 2024, aimed at resolving political and economic challenges facing the country. The talks sought to address longstanding issues between the government and opposition but faced obstacles after just three rounds. During the third round, PTI presented a charter of demands, which included the formation of judicial commissions to investigate incidents on May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024, as well as the support of federal and provincial governments for the release and acquittal of political prisoners identified by the party.
However, after a week, PTI founder Imran Khan abruptly ended the talks, claiming the government had not met the deadline for establishing the judicial commissions. A day later, Barrister Gohar clarified that the talks were simply put on hold by Imran Khan.
On Monday, PTI’s head negotiator Omar Ayub expressed concerns to the Speaker about the government’s delay in addressing their demands and insisted that talks could only proceed if the judicial commissions were formed.
Despite multiple requests from Speaker Sadiq, the PTI delegation did not attend Tuesday’s talks, sticking to its stance that discussions would only resume if their conditions regarding the judicial commissions were met.
Senator Irfan Siddiqui, spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, questioned why PTI had ended the dialogue prematurely, especially without waiting for the government’s response to its demands. He pointed out that PTI could have found an opportunity for compromise if it had participated in the fourth round.
Siddiqui mentioned that constitutional and legal experts were consulted regarding the PTI’s demands and that the government had not yet issued a final response. The government committee’s willingness to continue talks was underscored by their announcement to remain open until January 31.
While admitting that the PTI’s absence essentially ended the talks, Siddiqui expressed the government’s readiness to resume discussions if the opposition chose to return to the table.
Speaker Sadiq reaffirmed that despite PTI’s boycott, the government’s negotiating committee would remain intact, and he remained hopeful that dialogue could continue.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan reiterated that PTI was committed to negotiations but lamented that the talks had failed to progress. He also emphasized that no other discussions were taking place at any other level, and PTI would continue its struggle through protests and legal means.
PTI’s Central Information Secretary, Sheikh Waqas Akram, accused the government of sabotaging the dialogue process and blamed them for the collapse of talks. He further stated that the government had failed to take meaningful steps toward PTI’s demands.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s aide, Rana Sanaullah, criticized PTI for calling off the talks over what he considered trivial issues. He suggested that if PTI had engaged with PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, they would have received a positive response and advised PTI to hold firm on their demands but not abandon the talks.
Sanaullah concluded that the government would wait for PTI to return to the negotiating table, but emphasized that the next opportunity for talks would likely occur after the 2029 elections.
